Mercer jobless rate still lowest

Mercer County’s jobless rate of 4.9 percent in November continues to be the lowest in Ohio and is lower than it has been since October 2008.
The jobless rate in the county averaged 8.7 percent in 2009 and 7.4 percent in 2010.
An economic development official said strength in both manufacturing and agriculture is a key.
“It is no coincidence that we are number one in agriculture and the lowest in unemployment,” Jared Ebbing, director of Mercer County Economic Development, told The Daily Standard (Celina, Ohio).
The county’s rate dropped .9 percentage points, as it fell from 5.8 percent in October to 4.9 percent in November.

Sweet delivery
A Portland business has been asked to produce 400 cupcakes for a special event in Indianapolis in January.
Patriot Sweet Cakes, owned and operated by Tiffany Lairson, is making the cupcakes for Arts Day in Indy on Jan. 23.
The business is located at 101 N. Meridian St.

Named instructor
Dr. Steven E. Stoller, a Winchester eye surgeon, was recently named a clinical instructor in Indiana University Medical Center’s department of ophthalmology.
In the part-time position, Dr. Stoller trains residents at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis.
Stoller practices general ophthalmology with Dr. Steve DeGroff at Family Eye Care, 310 S. Oak St., Winchester.

New officer
Ken Goettemoeller, a resident of St. Henry, Ohio, has been hired as a commercial banking officer for the Portland branch of MainSource Bank.
Goettemoeller, who has been in banking for more than 20 years, will be responsible for developing commercial, agri-business and real estate clients and will oversee lending, deposits and cross-selling of other products and services.
MainSource, with headquarters in Greensburg, operates 80 offices in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio.

Sessions set
Public forums with two local state legislators are scheduled in the coming months.
The sessions, Jan. 21 and March 3, will be sponsored by the Jay County Chamber of Commerce government committee and held at John Jay Center for Learning.
State Rep. Bill Davis (R-Portland) and State Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle) will appear at the “Third House” sessions, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the two dates.

Planning grant given
A regional planning district has been awarded a $60,000 planning grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Energize-ECI Regional Planning District Inc., which serves Delaware, Jay, Blackford and Grant counties, was formed in 2009.
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The funds will be used to update the group’s comprehensive economic development strategy, sustain/expand the capacity of the district organization, and provide technical assistance and services to local entities, among other uses.
Since its formation, the district has secured more than $3.3 million in grant funding.

Nurse certified
Jennifer Phipps, a registered nurse with Mercer Health Home Care, has been certified as an OASIS specialist by completing specific training and a two and a half hour examination.
OASIS stands for outcome and assessment information set and is a measure of quality used in home care agencies throughout the country.
Phipps has been with Mercer Health Home Care for 11 years. The company was founded in 1966.

Honda shifting
Honda Motor Co. announced this week plans to shift a major portion of its manufacturing operations to North America over the next two years — a move that could increase production capacity in the U.S., Mexico and Canada by as much as 40 percent.
The company, which is a major customer of FCC (Indiana), has faced challenges this year that include the March earthquake and resulting tsunami and a strengthened yen, the Japanese currency.
Those two factors have cut into production and profits for the company, which has fallen to seventh in global unit sales — trailing fast-rising rivals Hyundai and Nissan.
Company officials said this week that the company eventually expects to export between 200,000 and 300,000 vehicles annually from North America — a tenfold increase from the 35,000 vehicles it current exports.
Included in the plans is the doubling of capacity of a plant in Greensburg to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Honda also announced this week that it will revamp its Civic line in 2012, even though the 2012 Civic was debuted in showrooms in the summer. Analysts say the move is being made because the new 2012 model was a step back from the previous model.

Nominated
Seven representatives from area businesses have been nominated to serve three-year terms on the board of directors for the Jay County Chamber of Commerce. Voting continues through Dec. 30.
Nominees include: Jacob Revere, Miller’s Merry Manor, Dunkirk; Tammy Hanlin, Hanlin Real Estate Service, Pennville; Tim Poole, AeroCat High Performance Bicycles, Portland; John Boggs, WPGW Radio, Portland; Nick Ardizzone, Ardizzone Fitness Systems, Redkey; Darcy Brewer, Magnolia Candle Company, Dunkirk (at-large) and Regina Dunlavy, Pennville Custom Cabinetry, Portland (at-large).

Lowe elected VP
Rural Dunkirk resident Dave Lowe has been selected vice president of the Indiana Soybean Alliance.
Lowe, the owner of Fort Recovery Construction Equipment Co., Portland, will serve as an officer of a 24-member board that is responsible for deciding how to spend Indiana soybean checkoff funds.
Also elected as officers by the alliance were Kevin Wilson, Walton, president; Joe Steinkamp, Evansville, secretary; and James Cherry, Greenfield, treasurer.

Joins State of the Heart (MUG?)
Mindy Stebbins, a lifelong resident of Darke County (Ohio), has been named director of marketing and public relations for State of the Heart Hospice. She joins the not-for-profit after seven years in marketing and health care.
Her responsibilities will include increasing awareness about the agency, supervision of marketing staff, oversight of the speakers bureau and assist in fund development and grant writing.
State of the Heart serves patients confronting life-limiting illness in eastern Indiana and western Ohio — including Jay County and Mercer counties.[[In-content Ad]]